Max Copolov — 'TB.GARD.01' Solid Timber Coffee Table, 2025

TB.GARD.01 is a solid timber coffee table decorated with an inlaid marquetry illustration of mother and child at the Pont du Gard in southern France. The piece was developed by Max Copolov as a celebration of the craft of marquetry, a classical technique of inlaying decorative motifs into furniture using exotic timber veneers. Due to the highly intricate, time-consuming nature of the craft, its popularity has faded over time and has become an out-of-reach furniture style for most design enthusiasts. Max's intention with this work is to subvert the historically ornamental style of marquetry by creating an illustration of a contemporary scene from his childhood. 

Unremarkable in its subject matter, the work harkens to a bygone era of the decorative arts, with art-historical references to Classical Romanticism and formal qualities such as linear perspective. By re-contextualising the subject matter , Max is not only attempting to reposition this craft as one that is just as vital today, he is also inviting the viewer to engage with the illustrated scene at hand, to look beyond its formal construction and to consider who these people are, where they came from, and when they lived. 

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Max Copolov is a Melbourne based interior and furniture designer interested in the intersection of classical and contemporary modes of expression. His work is driven by a fascination with traditional techniques, craftsmanship and forms borrowed from the past, and a strong desire to make these qualities resonate with audiences today.

With a background in art history and production design for film, Copolov imbues his work with a tactility and a sense of nostalgia that is reminiscent of a bygone era, before the advent of mass manufacturing. A particular period of interest is the Wiener Werkstätte, of which his great-grandfather was a disciple, with its celebration of form and craft in a rapidly evolving world. The work that his family produced during this period is a constant source of inspiration and motivation, contributing to his developing design Philosophy.

Whatever the medium, Copolov's intentions are plain: to develop a body of work that is accessible to anyone; that celebrates the past on the long and progressive march forward.